Raspberry Pi Pi-hole Setup

Pi-hole turns a humble Raspberry Pi into a network-wide ad blocker.
Once installed, every device on your network enjoys faster, cleaner browsing — without browser plugins or corporate trackers.

🧩 What You’ll Need

• Raspberry Pi (3 B or newer) + power supply
• 8 GB micro‑SD card
• Ethernet or Wi‑Fi network connection
• Access to your router’s settings
• A dash of curiosity and command‑line courage

⚙️ Installation Steps

1. Prepare the SD card
   Use the Raspberry Pi Imager → select Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32‑bit)
   Enable SSH and set your username, password, and Wi‑Fi (if needed).

2. Boot and update

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt full-upgrade -y
   sudo reboot

3. Reserve a static IP
   Do this in your router (preferred) or edit /etc/dhcpcd.conf on the Pi.

4. Install Pi-hole

   curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

   Follow prompts:

   • Interface → eth0 (wired) or wlan0 (wireless)
   • Upstream DNS → Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google (8.8.8.8)
   • Install web interface → Yes
   • Enable logging → Optional

5. Access the dashboard
   Visit http://<your-pi-ip>/admin and log in with the password shown at the end of setup.

6. Point your network to the Pi

   • In your router’s DNS settings, set the Pi’s IP as the DNS server.
   • Or let Pi-hole run its own DHCP (disable the router’s one first).

🧠 Handy Commands

pihole -up           # Update Pi-hole
pihole -c            # Show summary
pihole status        # Check running state
pihole -a -p         # Change web password
sudo reboot          # Restart the Pi

🪫 Reliability & Maintenance

• Use a good power supply (cheap ones cause silent failures).
• Prefer Ethernet over Wi‑Fi for stability.
• Backup /etc/pihole/.
• Update monthly:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

🧱 Troubleshooting

Jimerism Tip: A good network behaves like a good butler — quiet, efficient, and never asking for attention.